By Jo van Vuuren — Fractional CMO
If you are wondering where to start with social media marketing, start small. Pick one platform where your customers already spend time, post useful things regularly, and judge it by whether it brings you enquiries and sales, not by how many likes you get. That is the whole approach in one sentence. The rest of this article explains how to do it well, without wasting your evenings juggling five different accounts.
Which platform should you actually use?
You do not need to be everywhere. Trying to keep up several accounts at once is one of the fastest ways to burn out and end up posting something mediocre on all of them, rather than something good on one. The better question is not “which platforms exist” but “where do my customers already spend their time”.
A café or a local shop might do well on Instagram, where photos of food, faces and daily life get attention. A plumber or another tradesperson might get more from Facebook, where local community groups and word-of-mouth recommendations live. A business selling to other businesses might find LinkedIn more useful, since that is where decision-makers actually read. A small charity often does best wherever its existing supporters and volunteers already gather. Ask a few customers where they saw you, or where they would expect to find you, and you will usually get your answer.
What should you actually post?
Post things that are useful, interesting or human, not things that only talk about how good you are. People follow accounts that give them something, whether that is a laugh, a useful tip, or a sense of who is behind the business.
- Answers to questions customers actually ask you
- A look behind the scenes: how something is made, or a day in the life of the business
- Photos of real work or real customers, with their permission
- Community news, local events, or causes you support
- Honest updates: new opening hours, a new product, a mistake you fixed
What you post matters less than whether it sounds like you, and whether it gives the reader something in return for their attention.
Does consistency matter more than how much you post?
Yes. Posting three times a week, every week, for a year beats posting daily for a month and then going quiet for three. Consistency does two things: it keeps you visible, since platforms tend to favour accounts that show up regularly, and it builds trust with people, the same way a shop that is reliably open builds more loyal customers than one with unpredictable hours.
If daily posting is not realistic for you, do not attempt it. Choose a frequency you can actually keep up for six months, and stick to it.
How do you know if it is working?
Likes, followers and comments feel like progress, but they are not the real measure of success. The real measure is whether social media is bringing you enquiries, bookings or sales.
- Ask new customers how they found you, and note it down
- Check whether your website gets visits from social media, if you can see that in your analytics
- Look for a pattern over three months, not three days: social media rarely brings instant results
- Be honest with yourself about whether the time you spend is worth what it brings back
Start with one platform, post something useful once or twice a week, and give it a proper three months before you decide whether it earns a place in how you spend your time.
Common questions
How many social media platforms should a small business use?
Usually just one or two: the ones where your customers already spend their time. Trying to keep up several accounts at once tends to produce weaker content on all of them than focusing your effort on one platform done well.
How often should a small business post on social media?
Choose a frequency you can still keep up in six months’ time. Two or three posts a week done consistently beats daily posting that fizzles out after a fortnight.
Do I need to pay for adverts to make social media work?
No, though paid adverts can help you reach people beyond your existing followers. Many small businesses build a steady stream of enquiries from regular, useful posting alone, especially in a local area.
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